Well, I've joined the workforce again. I'm working days at a fast food joint and doing schoolwork/promoting/writing by night. I feel like a vampire. I haven't slept a full-night's sleep in days. Even when I literally pass out at a decent bedtime hour, I stay awake all night fretting/thinking.

For the past two weeks, I've been so busy, I didn't even remember to turn in some assignments. I know what you're thinking, I shouldn't have gone to college when I had so many other responsibilities, but I'm not going to allow lack of time to come in the way of my dreams. There is no excuse. Besides, I wanted to do something to make myself happy, because the wedding I planned 6 months for, didn't happen. (Don't worry, we're still engaged.) This is the main reason why I got another job: money. Other than the 20 hours plus of classwork/homework for 2 classes, college is great. I could write essays like nobody's business. :)

If there is such a thing as writing withdrawal that is what I'm experiencing right now. Without writing, I'm completely lost. I love it even more than college. Even more than playing video games. I want it to be the only thing I ever do right in my life. But without a roof over my head...writing would be very hard to do, indeed. Do you want to know why I write in the first place?

The truth is:I write to escape from reality.

I'm not saying everything I've experienced (so far) is worse than anyone else, but to me, to what I want from life, it could've gone very different. By now, I'd have a Bachelor's Degree in English and I'd be on the next plane to Ireland/England to teach some type of writng/reading course at one of their schools. Or maybe I'd just travel the world teaching people to read. Either way, I'd get around.

Of course, if I never embarked on my current path (life is funny that way), I probably wouldn't have the best fiance in the world. Although, we swear that we'd find each other no matter what. :)

Good thing there is such a genre as "Historical Romance", because it's saved me a lot of traveling remorse. Every book is an adventure in a time/place I haven't visited yet. It takes me away from the day to day struggle. I just hope I could do more for my readers than write a blog once a week. :)

Last week, I talked about priorities and what people think is more important than writing, this week I vow to write no matter how much time I have. I. must. write. book. two. no. matter. what.

I'd love to hear your confessions. If you have any to share, please put them in a comment below. Thank you for reading!!! Until next time...

I wanted to thank everyone for stopping by and participating in my contest. For all those who've stuck with me and supported me since the release of my debut book, I salute you.

As you all know, my book To Love An Irishman is nice. Although, there is a naughty bit at the end. :P

What makes a book nice? In my opinion:

--A specific (low) number of love scenes.

--Romantic dialogue.

--The hero/heroine doesn't make brash decisions that lead to harming others.

--The villain isn't ruthless.

--The ending is happy.

Of course, your definition may differ and I would love to hear it. :)

She is left with an
offer she cannot refuse...

Upon his death in 1823, English nobleman, Lord
Peyton leaves his daughter Lady Aveline with two choices—stay single and
inherit only a small farm in Ireland, where she might just be able to eke out a
living, or get married and live in luxury, inheriting all his wealth and property.
Fiercely independent, Aveline heads for Ireland only to run afoul of her
father’s farm manager, the devastatingly handsome Ciaran O’'Devlin. Alone in a
strange country, Aveline yearns for love and friendship, but Ciaran offers only
criticism and disdain. Confused and angered by strange visions and her growing
attraction to Ciaran, Aveline is determined to make the farm prosper—despite the
insufferable Irishman.

He has a secret he cannot
reveal...

Ciaran mistrusts Aveline’s intentions and
refuses to admit that a willful, English
woman now owns the farm that should have been his. Although he insists Aveline
should go back to England, he cannot deny their budding passion. Yet, he knows—even
if she doesn’t—that nothing will come of it. Not only can’t a poor Irishman
marry an English noblewoman, but when Aveline learns of his past, she’ll want
nothing more to do with him. Ciaran has always known that each decision carries
a consequence, but it’s only when he stands to lose Aveline that he realizes
what a heavy price his past decisions may have.

If you came here, expecting a life story, then please read my autobiography in forty or so years. This is a series of confessions that I will tell you in relation to my publishing journey. This is for anyone who ever picked up the art of writing or anything they dreamed of doing and found discouragement. Sometimes, it comes from your friends and family, co-workers, other people in your profession, and yourself. Personally, I think we are our own worst critics. Since we are the author's of our lives, we take the blame for everything that doesn't go according to plan, and we punish ourselves.

No matter what is holding you back, don't EVER stop what you love to do. Why spend your life wallowing in the day to day or finding another outlet to enjoy yourself? If you believe what you love to do is just a hobby, then you are not driven, and your main focus should be is to find motivation. Success never comes before hard work, unless for some reason, someone did everything for you. I really hope this is not your case, because I have more faith in you than you have in yourself.

Speaking of faith, here is my first confession: The one person in my life I thought would stand by my side, told me that I'd never go anywhere in life and that writing shouldn't be my main priority.

Okay, maybe this person is a generalization of a few people fused into one. Anyone who doubts someone this much, needs to first get their own priorities straight before offering their disheartening advice. The fact of the matter is that I've heard this from many people throughout my life. Friends, family members, significant others, etc. They are pretty much the people I care about the most. Not knowing how they felt about me was one thing, but hearing it was entirely another. Actually, it was the best motivation I'd ever received. Not even a rejection letter could make me this ambitious. It was like receiving a million-dollar cash prize. Well, maybe not that great. :)

Don't get me wrong, you will become emotional and feel lost, but then you consider it a challenge to meet and beat their expectations. And I'm not even competitive. Believe me, I've been trying to overturn everyone's expectations my whole life. I turn all of those doubts upside down.

When you let your past come in the way of current goals, your view of success may change. Yes, you will no longer consider your profession as a hobby and take it more seriously while working for what you need to survive on the side.

I've read a few articles where people wish they could reach success at an earlier age. Others believe youth is wasted on the young (In which, this is true on many occasions.). For those who think they wasted their youth on less productive endeavors, I salute you. Either you worked really hard to get where you're at right now or you had a great time and laughed. When I say this, I'm coming from the perspective of the youth. College, working retail/fast food jobs to pay rent, etc. is a major setback for people my age. I don't have the time nor resources to set my writing career into full motion. I don't have the funds to attend conferences, or the free time to do anything other than write the books. Looking up publishers and agents is very time-consuming. Every time you think you have a working list, another year passes and it's out of date. :)

In order to cope with the day to day stress, I've gone on a few writing hiatuses, (lasting from one to three months) in order to work more hours, go on vacation, etc. And I regretted every moment of it. Well, maybe not the vacation part. Anyways, wherever you are in life, don't give up on your dreams. Luckily, they don't have a deadline and are attainable at any age. I believe in sacrifice, but not at the expense of your whole being. I love writing so much. It's become a part of me more than anything else. I'd be lost without it.

Thank you so much for reading! Join me next time for the Naughty or Nice giveaway hop and another author confession! :)

Have you ever read a part in a novel where the heat around you sizzles with ecstatic energy? Where your pulse races each time the hero tells the heroine "I love you" and vice versa? Do you ever keep reading a book until you reach the love scene? I do.

What makes a love scene tantalizing? How do you keep the reader's interest?

Here are 5 tips on making each page delicious:

1) Include all five senses.

2) Use each word to the greatest effect.

3) Limit dialogue usage.

4) Up the action sequence.

5) Don't scrimp on description.

Here is a sizzling excerpt from To Love An Irishman:

They ignored the chill of the barn as
they explored each other. The hay under their bodies provided a fine mattress.Aveline kept her hands busy while he left a
warm, moist trail down her chest, wetting her breasts. Ciarán's mouth on her
sensitive flesh made her toes tingle. Apprehension hadn’t affected her until
now. What if she did something wrong?She ran her hands over his shoulders,
wrapping her arms around to touch his back. A burgeoning desire overwhelmed her
core. The throbbing sensation made her writhe with eagerness. He continued to
nibble a protruding nipple, flicking his tongue back and forth, while using his
forefinger to caress the other. The fingers on his other hand ran along her
torso until they stopped on the inside of her thigh.

How did one handle such an ocean of
feelings?

He hesitated.

“Continue, Ciarán, please.” Her heart
raced.

He grinned and kissed her, his hand moving between her legs. As he caressed herdown there, she felt a small part of her soul join with his. She loved his touch. Especially the sensations it stirred within her, as he rubbed his thumb along her tiny nub. His fingers stroked and caressed until passion gripped her in rippling waves.

His body rocked against her the more her hands met his skin, and she felt as if she were an irresistible woman, the kind a man loves and cherishes forever.

Suddenly, he removed his fingers and pulled away. No! Why would he stop so soon?

“Aveline, you don’t know what you do to me. There is so much more you must learn before...”

She felt empty without his caress, her shuddering body writhing for more. “Please, teach me.”

"When life gives you a farm, just meet (and make love to) a handsome Irishman."

Thank you for hopping by! If you would like to win an ebook copy of To Love An Irishman, please fill out the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!

Dear Readers, I apologize for the lack of a blog post last week. I was so pressed for time, I couldn't get myself to think of a topic to write about. Anyways, I'm on the last few thousands words on my work in progress, and I must say the journey through this book has been a very enlightening one. My characters have shown me a lot about themselves I never knew before. I can't wait to write more about them. I used to be so good at endings. In fact, I'd write the ending first, then write from there, but with The Earl's Son, I tried something different.

I will admit I did have an ending planned for the book all along, but I knew it would come about way differently than I anticipated. Of course, it wouldn't be a Victorian romance novel without the happily ever after!

Every book deserves to have a perfect ending.

Here are the different types of HEA endings:

-The hero/heroine gets what they desired and ends up happy.

-The hero/heroine does not get what they desired, but something better, and is happy about it anyway.

-The hero/heroine finds his/her original goals were flawed and changes for the better as a result, thus ending up happy in the end.

Unacceptable HEA endings:

-An unknown character shows up to save the day.

-An unknown conflict occurs that only enhances the conflict of the story.

-You keep the story going past an implied ending.

-You end a single title romance with a cliffhanger.

Your HEAs may be different than mine, but I hope you get the idea.

Here are some tips on writing the perfect ending:

1. Satisfy the reader. Make sure the good guy wins and the bad guy loses.

2. Tie up all loose ends. The main plot and all sub plots should be resolved. (Sometimes you could tweak this step for books in a series.) Your hero/heroine should also solve their own problems.

3. Make the ending flow with the rest of the book. The hero isn't going to walk away from the heroine at the end if he had spent the whole book chasing after her. Also, the ending should be obvious from the information given throughout the novel.

4. Match the ending's emotion with the beginning and middle. It's not fair to your readers to send them on such a wonderful adventure only to crash their plane at the end. This won't encourage them to buy anymore of your books.

5. Your reader should feel the same emotions as your hero/heroine. If they can't envision your character's happy thoughts and feelings at the end of a novel, you haven't fully developed your character's personalities, and you should address this ASAP.

6. Finish with a strong sentence. This sentence should be just as powerful as the one you started the whole story with. It could reflect your story's theme, explain the title, or you could restate the first line.